Beautiful report! This has been my stomping ground for two decades. In fact, I can see my house in your picture from the top of the tram! I plan on Joshua Tree being our first venture in our new (to us) RV. It's, literally, a 30-minute drive.

Beautiful report! This has been my stomping ground for two decades. In fact, I can see my house in your picture from the top of the tram! I plan on Joshua Tree being our first venture in our new (to us) RV. It's, literally, a 30-minute drive.

Ericb760, always good to stay close to home on your first trips, and you are lucky to be so close to such a great location for that! Wishing you many trouble free miles in your new rig!

We love the Coachella Valley and Joshua Tree area. Great pictures! I agree about Bakersfield. I always stop there for an overnighter and need to plan more time to explore the town and Tehachapi area. Dewars Candy will be on my list!

https://parks.mohavecounty.us/ in bullhead city. Run by the county, electric and water only but on the Colorado river
Williams is a cute little town. They had a train ride to the Grand canyon that would get "robbed" by outlaws. Haven't checked that in 2 or 3 years.

As one that had lived for many years in Phoenix, Az...I have a suggestion for out-of-state RV campers and tenters...and this is it. In Arizona, you have beautiful wildlife, but amongst that wildlife, there are three species of said wildlife that are dangerous to your health, and need to be mentioned...and then...what to do, to protect yourself...

1. Rattlesnakes (the Mohave is one of the most toxic in venom...)
2. Cream and Black colored scorpions...the Black..are the most toxic!
3 Gila Monsters {a thick bodied lizard that is also quite venom-toxic...)

for RV-ing and Tenting...this is what I suggest you have, and do...always have a long broom handle, (does NOT have to actually have the broom head on it...), and keep it by the RV door, or the tent flap opening. Here's why...

All of the above mentioned poisonous species love, heat retention surfaces, like for instance, your black walled tires...as well as being able to hide just behind them, and wait for prey...mice and other rodents, are also attracted by the odors of a campsite, your very trailer...etc....and what you should always do, in a Desert location, is to open your trailer door (or the entrance flap of your tent)...and BEFORE you step down towards the ground, or step through your tent door,...you want to take your broom handle, and place one end of the handle on the ground, and make moving circles with it...as well as tapping the bottom step. If there is a venomous serpent near your steps under your trailer, or near your tire wells, ( or within three feet of your tent opening), your disturbing the ground, or tapping on the metal step, will cause a warning rattle, that you will clearly hear! Do not step down, obviously, but call for help and Rangers will come and remove the serpent. Same goes for Scorpions...they will merely scurry away in fright...wait 30 seconds and then step down. Gila Monsters also follow rodents...and they have very dull and small teeth, but what they do, is bite down upon your limb, like a bull-dog...and then start to chew laterally upon your limb, to try and inject their venom, that secretes from their gums, into the evolving wound.

The bottom line here, is that you should never BLINDLY step onto the Desert, or the near Desert, without first making sure that no other Desert residents, will be near your ankle or calf... A tip...from one who lived for years, around these critters...they don't bike/attack out of aggression, they bite/attack out of fear..of injury or threat to themselves. A stick stirring the ground, allows them to retreat ...rather than defend. That stick...can save you from being bitten..and what goes with that. I do this, anywhere, there are known species that are venomous...even outside dedicated Desert areas. Walking to, around, and towards your trailer or tent, allows any venomous species to perceive you...retreat or warn you...but in stepping down from your RV, in the morning, or evening...does NOT allow the species to retreat, as your foot lands 6 inches possibly...from their fangs... Being warned, is being empowered...and this post was hoping to give you that.